Switch.



J. F. CAVANAGH.

SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.9. 19]?- 1,289,654, Patented Dec. 31, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

3 VLUQVHTO'Z John F Uawmay/z a Gite anew UNITED STATES OFFICE.

JOHN F. CAVANAGH, OF MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO CONNECTICUTTELEPHONE & ELECTRIC CO., OF MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OFCONNECTICUT.

SWITCH.

Patented Dec. 31, 1918..

Application filed August 9, 1917. Serial No. 185,236.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN F. CAvANAoH, a citizen of the United States ofAIIIOIICR. residing at. Meriden Connecticut, have invented a new anduseful Switch, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to control swltches for automobiles and is in thenature, as to some of its features, of a division from my priorapplications #123,785 and 12 3l,321.

A special object of the present lnvention is to provide a compact.simple and inexpensive form of switch, particularly adapted forcontrolling the circuits of an automobile and which can be locked inposition to prevent theft or tampering with the machine.

Another and more specific object is to provide a switch for controllingthe lighting mechanism and signaling circuits of an automobile which canbe readily operated to control such circuits and which after beingoperated to put the circuits in a predetermined condition, may be lockedwith the cirzuits in such condition.

Briefly the invention resides in the combination with a switch operatingmember for controlling one or more sets of switch contacts and a secondindependently operable switch controlling element of a unitary lockingmeans for locking both of said switch controlling devices in desiredrelation. In the present embodiment of my invention the first switchcontrolling member is in the form of a combined rotary and recipro;atorypush button for controlling by its rotary and push button movement two,different sets of (ontacts and the second controlling member is in theform of a re:ipro catory swit'h closing button and the two controllingdevices are locked by means of a single key plug having lockingmeansoperably engaging both of the aforesaid devices.

In the accompanying drawings, I have illustrated the intention embodiedin a practical and preferred form, but I would have it understood thatchanges and modifications may be made without departure from the truespirit and scope of the invention.-

In said drawings,

Figure 1 is a side view of the invention as applied to the steeringcolumn of are automobile.

Fig. 2 is an edge view of the switch look ing in the direction of thearrow 2 in 1.

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the body or base portion of the switch.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the switch base and parts carried thereby.

Fig.5 is a sectional view taken of the switch substantially on the planeof the line 55 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a similar view taken substantially on the plane of the line6-6 of Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is an inside view of the combined cap andoperating push button.

Fig. 7 is a broken sectional view taken substantially on the line 77" ofFig. 7.

Fig. 8 is a cross sectional view of the locking cylinder takensubstantially on the plane of the line 8-8 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic view of the wiring and circuit arrangement forthis type of switch. I

Referring to the drawings more in detail, 10 designates the base of theswitch usually formed of suitable insulating material and 11 designatesthe so-called push button or combined rotary and reciprocatory switchcontrolling member. Attached to the back of the insulating base is ashell or casing member 12, which with the insulating base forms ahousing for the switch terminals, said casing being shown provided witha conduit extension 13 through which the circuit wires are led to theseveral terminals.

The push button is rotatably confined to the base in the presentdisclosure by providing it with a stem 14 workingin a bore 15 in thebase, the lower end of such stem extending through the under side of thebase and having a srew 16 engaged therewith to limit the upward movementof the button. A spring l'Z coiled about the stem yieldingly supportsthe button in an upralsed position as shown in Fig. 6.

The push button carries at its under side a more or less centrallydisposed push but ton contact 18 for engagement. upon depres sion of thebutton, with a cooperating; con tact 19 on the base and also carries twose rated segmental contacts 20 and 21 for e11 gagement with upstandingcontacts on the base. These upstanding contacts eat from the under sideof the base up thr-oi passages extending through from the to the frontof the base and are sprui wardly as most clearly indicated in so as toengage with the conta ts 20 and tion 22 of the push button, saidcontacts being numbered 23, 24, 25, 26 and 27. (See Fig. 4.) At theunder side of the base these contacts are shown provided with contactlugs 28, held in place by screws 29. The terminal of contact 24 isconnected with the.

push button as by means of a strap 30 (Figs. 3 and 6.)

In use, the parts thus far described are connected in circuit asindicated in Fig. 9. The contact 27 being grounded by means of asuitable wire connection 28, the contact 26 being connected by wiring 29with one of the head lights 30, the contact 25 being wired at 34 to thetail light 35, the contact 24 being connected by wiring 31 with abattery or other source of current 32 and the contact 23 by wiring 33 toa point in the connection between the head lights, the other one of thehead lights, the other side of the battery and the other side of thetail light all being grounded as indicated. In the position with thelights ofl the push button is rotated to the right so as to carry theshort button contact 20 out of engagement with the base contacts andleaving the longer button contact 21 in engagement only with the basecontacts 25, 26, 27, this position of the button contacts beingindicated by the full lines in this diagram. In this position no batterycurrent reaches the button contacts and so far as the lights areconcerned the switch is therefore dead. It dim lights are required thepush button is rotated one stop to the left so as to bring the twocontacts on the button into the position indicated in dotted lines. Theflow. can now be traced from the battery through wire 31 to base contact24 across button contact 21 to base contact 25, to the tail light andground and further along contact 21 to base contact 26 and by way of thewire 29 to the head lights in series and groin-1d. This seriesconnection of the head lights gives a dim light as well known. To securethe full lighting effect, the button is turned a further step to theleft bringing the button contacts into the position indicated indotand-dash lines in Fig. 9. lln this condition the circuit to the taillight is the same as above, but as the button contact 21 now touches thebase contact 23, a path is opened up through connection 33 to a pointintermediate the head lights where the current may divide and flow partthrough the left head light and by way of wire 29, base contact 26.button contact 29, base contact 26,

button COI'llllCt 20, base contact 27 and eonn ction 28 to ground andpart throu h the ht hand head light to ground. This, it il be seen, is aparallel connection with the Eamps receiving the full current force.

Nhen the push button is depressed and the contact 18 on the under sidethereof brought into engagement with the contact "5.9 on the base, aflow of current is providedaaeaeea from the button contact 18, which ischarged through connection 30 from the terminal of base contact 24, tothe contact 19 which latter contact is connected by means of a wire 36with a terminal 37 on the under side 01 the base which latter terminalis connected by wiring 38 with the horn or other signaling device 39which latter device is grounded as indicated. It thus follows that upondepression of the push button, irrespective of what position rotatablyit may occupy, the circuit will be completed through the signalingdevice. I

For the purpose of providing a good sliding contact between the uprightcontacts 23, 24, etc., on the base and the dependent contact segments onthe button, the upstanding contacts may be rounded out as indicated inFig. 4 and the dependent contacts 20 and 21 be hollowed as indicated inFig. 7. These 00- operating contacts serve to yieldingly retain thebutton in the positions to which it is rotated and additional notches 40may be provided in the non-metallic portion of the de pendent rim 22into which the upstanding contacts fit with the button in the OEposition.

The locking means for the push button comprises in the particularembodiment illus trated a rotatable locking cylinder or plug 41 adaptedto receive a suitable key 42, said plug being journaled at the underside of the insulating base at right angles to the axis of the pushbutton and carrying at its inner end a radially extending arm 43 formedwith a cam slot 44 receiving a pin 45 on the lower end of the lockingpin or slide 46 which works up through the top of the base in positionto engage in sockets 47, formed in the under side of the button. Thelocking cylinder is held in the position to which it is turned by thekey, by a detent 48 projected by a spring 49 into engagement withsockets or keeper surfaces 50, provided for it in the base.

The operation of thi lozking device will be apparent from Figs. 3, and 6in the latter of which, it will be seen that as the point of the key isinserted in the plug, it will engage the forward end of the detentspring 49 and retrmt the detent from engagement with the socket 50 inwhich it has been seated. The plug can then be freely turned by the key.Thus, if the switch is in the unlocked condition, as indicated in 6 andthe plug is rotated to the position indicated in Fig. 5, the cam armwill project the locking pin up into engagement in one of the so kets47, thus locking the push button in the position to which it has beenturned and preventing further rotary manipulation of the push button.These sockets 4-? in the push button may be made of such a depth thatthe locking pin when projected will extend to the bottom oi the socketand thus lock the button against depression as well as rotation.

,msaeea In the illustration (Figs. 7 and 7*) two of these ockets aremade relatively shallow so as to lock the button against push buttonmovements and a third socket is made deeper so as to permit the buttonwhen locked rotarily in this last position to be depressed for thepurpose of sounding the horn. This construction therefore enables thepush button being locked either against both rotary and pushbutton'movements or being locked against rotary movement alone.

In addition to controlling the lights and signaling mechanism myimproved switch is adapted for the control of an additional circuit.such as the ignition. The controller for this additional circuitcomprises in the present disclosure a reciprocatory push and pull switchelement 51 having a contact portion 52 adapted, when said control deviceis pressed inward, to connect a pair of contacts 535at. When the switchoperating member 51 is drawn outward in the position indicated in Fig. 5the contact portion 52 is freed from the contacts 53-54 and the circuitthereby broken. The switch member may be locked in this position bymeans of an eccentrically disposed locking lug 55 on the inner end ofthe locking cylinder which, when the cylinder is turned into theposition shown in Fig. 5, is placed in front of the inner end of themember 51, thus locking it in its outer circuit broken position.

It will be clear therefore that by withdrawing the ignition plug andturning the locking cylinder by means of the key to the positionindicated in F ig. 5 both the ignition and the light circuits will belocked and, if the push button has been turned to bring one of theshallower locking sockets 47 into the plane of the locking pin 46, theignaling circuit as well will be locked off.

The switch may conveniently be mounted on the steering base or column ofa ma chine as shown in Fig. 1, it being for this purpose provided with ayoke or clamp 57 adapted to embrace the steering column and secured tothe back of the switch casing as by screws 58. Means for securing theswitch casing together is preferably located beneath this supportingyoke so that when the switch is mounted in place, it will be impossibleto get at the terminals without entirely dismounting the switch. Thissecuring means is hereby shown as a screw 59 extend-- ing through thecasing into the back of the insulating base and having its head arrangedbeneath the yoke so as to be covered by the steering column when theswitch is mounted on the column.

I claim:

1. In a switch of the character set forth, a switch base. a switchoperating member rotatahly and reciprocably mounted on said base andtherefore capable of rotary and push button movements on the base,switch contacts controlled by the operating member in the rotary andpush button movements thereof, and mean for locking said operatingmember against rotary movement without affecting the push buttonmovements of said member.

2 In a switch of the character set forth, a switch base, a switchoperating member rotatably and reciprocably mounted on said base andtherefore capable of rotary and push button movements on the base,switch contacts controlled by the operating member in the rotary andpush button movements thereof, and a ingle lock mechanism for lockingthe push button operating member against both rotary and push buttonmovements.

3. A switch of the character described, comprising an insulating baseprovided with passages extending therethrough from the back to the frontof the base, contacts having base portions secured at the back of thebase" and shank portion projecting freely up through the passages andterminating in yielding contact portions exposed atv the front ofthebase, a cap rotatably mounted on the front of the base covering theexposed portions of the contacts and provided with portions engagingsaid contact portions, terminals on the base portions of the contacts atthe back of the base and a casing secured to the back of the insulatingbase and covering said terminals.

4. A switch of the character described, comprising an insulating basehaving passages arranged in a substantially circular series andextending through from the back of the base to the front thereof, aseries of contacts having base portions secured at the back ofv theinsulating base and yielding contact-making portions extending upthrough the passages to the front of the base, a cap rotatably mountedon the insulating base covering the contact-making portions of thecontacts and provided with portions engaging said contact-makingportions and a casing secured to the back of the base and covering thebase portions of the contacts.

5. A switch of the character described, comprising an insulating basehaving passages arranged in a substantially circular series andextending through from the back of the base to the front thereof, aseries of contacts having base portions secured at the back of theinsulating base and yielding contact-making portions extending upthrough the passages to the front of the base, a cap rotatably mountedon the M1811- lating base covering the contact-mak ng portions of thecontacts and provided with portions engaging said contact-makingportions, a casing secured to the back of the base and covering thebase, the cap having a series of seats in the underside thereof arrangedsubstantially'in the arc of a circle, a locking plunger slidably mountedin the base for engagement in said seats and means for projecting saidplunger into any one of said seats for locking the cap in difi'erentpositions to which it may be rotated.

6. In a switch of the character set forth, a switch base, an operatingpush button on the base, contacts'controlled by said push button, asliding pin on the base adapted for projection into engagement withbutton, an independently operable switch controlling member on the baseand a rotat ing locking element having connection with the push buttonlocking pin and having a part adapted to be projected into the path ofmovement of the independently operableswitch controlling member.

7. In a switch of the character described, the combination of aninsulating base, a cap having a pivot stud rotatably engaged in saidinsulating base, contacts mounted on the base and covered by said cap,means on the underside of the cap for engagement with said contacts, aterminal on the back of the base, a conducting strip connected with saidterminal and electrically connected with the pivot stud of the cap and arelatively'stationary contact on the base adapted for electricalconnection with said pivot stud. t

- 8. In a switch of the character set forth, a switch base, a switchoperating member rotatably mounted on said base, switch contactscontrolled thereby, a reciprocatory switch controlling member mounted onthe base at an angle to the axis of the rotary operating member, alocking member journaled on the base, a stop carried by said lockingmember arranged to be positioned in the path of movement of thereciprocatory operatingmember and a stop member adapted to be projectedby the locking member into engagement with the rotary switch operatingmember.

9. In a switch of the character set forth,

a switch base, a rotary push button rotatably and reciprocably mountedon said base, switch contacts controlled thereby in the respectivemovements thereof, a second independently operable switch controllingmember on the base, switch contacts controlled thereby, a rotatable keycylinder mounted on the base, a stop positioned by said hey cylinder inthe path of movement of the second independently operable switchcontrolling member and a stop element pro jected by the rotatablelocking element into engagement with the push button aforesaid.

10. In a switch of the character set forth, a switch base, a rotaryswitch operating member rotatably confined to the base, switch contactscontrolled thereby, a reciprocatory switch controlling member moun ed onbase substantially right the push to the axis of the rotary operatingmember, a locking cylinder journaled on the base substantially at rightangles to the planes of the operating members aforesaid, a stop lug onthe locking cylinder arranged to be positioned thereby in the path ofmovement of the reciprocatory operating member, a sliding pin forengagement with the rotary switch controlling member and operatingconnection between the locking cylinder and said sliding pin.

11. In a switch of the character set forth, a switch base, a lockingplug journaled in the base and provided with an eccentrically disposedstop lug and a radially extending cam arm, a locking pin slidablymounted on the base and operated by said cam arm, a switch operatingmember controlled by said lockingpin and a second independently operableswitch controlling member controlled by the stop lug aforesaid.

12. In a switch of the character set forth, a switch base, a lockingplug journaled in the base and provided with an eccentrically disposedstop lug and a radially extending cam arm, a locking pin slidablymounted on the base and operated by said cam arm, a rotary switchoperating member controlled by said locking pin and an independentreciprocatory switch operating member controlled by the stop lug.

13. In a switch of the character set forth, a switch base, a lockingplug journaled in the base and provided with an eccentrically disposedstop lug and a radially extending cam arm, a locking pin slidablymounted on the base and operated by said cam arm. a rotary push buttonrotatably and reciprocably mounted on the base and provided with socketsfor the locking pin, a second independently operable switch controllingmember mounted on the base and controlled by the stop lug.

14:. In a switch of the character set forth, a switch base, a rotarypush button rotatably and reciprocablv confined to said base andprovided with locking shoulders on the under side thereof, switchcontacts controlled by said push button in the respective movementsthereof, a locking plug journaled in the base substantially at rightangles to the axis of the push button and provided with a radiallyprojecting arm sub tantially parallel to the axis of the push button andhaving a cam slot therein, a locking pin slidably mounted in the basesubstantially parallel the of the push button, having a lug engaged inthe cam slot and adapted to be project I thereby into engagement withthe oulders the push button, a reciprocz cry switch element mounted onthe e side of the locking plug and sub a right angles to the axis of theon and a stop lug on the locking to be positioned thereby in the path ofmovement of the reciprocatory switch element.

15. In a switch of the characterset forth, a switch base, a push buttonjournaled on said base and provided with looking sockets in the underside thereof, switch contacts controlled by the rotary push button inthe rotary and push button movements thereof, a locking pin extensibleup through the top of the base into engagement with the sockets in theunder sideof the push button and a key plug journaled in. the baseconnected with the locking pin for projecting the same into engagementin the sockets in the push button. I

16. In a switch of the character set forth,

-a switch base,'a push button journaled on said base and provided with aseries of sockets of different depth on the under side there- .of,contacts controlled by said push buttonin the rotary and reciprocatorymovements thereof, a locking pin extensible up through the base intoengagement with the different ones of the sockets in the under side ofthe push button and a key engageable member --mounted in the base forprojecting the locking pin into engagementwith s'uch' sockets.

17. In a switch of the character set forth, a, switch base, a switchoperating member journaled on said base and provlded with lockingsockets in the underside thereof, switch contacts controlled by saidrotary switch operating member, a. lockin pin extensible up'through thetop of the ase into engagement with the sockets in the underside of therotary switch operating member and a member journaled'in the base andcon-- nected with said locking pin for projecting the same intoengagement with thesockets in the switchoperating member. 1

18. In a switch of the character set forth, a switch base, a, pushbutton contact on said base, an independent set of contacts on saidbase, switch operating means having rotary and reciprocatory movementson the base and carrying contact means for coiiperation.

base and means also operated by said looking plug for controlling saidsecond switch operating member. K

20. A switch of the character set forth comprising a base, 'an operatingmember rotatably and reciprocably mounted on said base, a set of pushbutton contacts brought into engagement by the push button move-' mentsof said. operating member, contact elements engaged by the rotarymovements of the operating member independently of the push buttonaction thereof and means for locking said compound operating member in apredetermined position.

:21. A switch of the character set forth comprising a base, an operatingmember rotatably and reciprocably mounted on said base, a set of pushbutton contacts brought into engagement by the push button move-' mentsof said operating member, contactelements engaged by the rotarymovements of the operating member. independently of the push buttonaction thereof and means for locking. the operating member immovably onthe base in a predetermined position.

22. A switch of the character set forth comprising a base, an operating.member rotatably and reciprocably mounted on said base, a set of pushbuttoncontacts brought into engagement by the .push button movements ofsaid operating member, contact elements engaged by the rotary movementsof the operating member independently of the push button action'thereof,a locking slide mounted on the 'base for engagement with the push buttonand key operated means for shifting the locking slide into engagementwith the push button.

23. In a switch of the character described,

a switch base, a switch operating member rotatably mounted on the to ofsaid switch base, switch contacts control ed by said rotatable member, areciprocatory switch operating member projecting from the side of theswitch base and a lock on the switch base for locking both the rotarswitch 0 crating member on the top of the as'e and t e reciprocatoryswitch operating member at the side of the base.

' 24. In a switch of the character set forth, a switchv base, switchoperating mechanism rotatably and reciprocably mounted on the base,switch contacts controlled by said mechanism' in the respectivemovements 1 thereof and means for locking said mechanism against bothreciprocating and rotary movements. Y g

' JOHN F. CAVANAGH.

